Bob Cole Conservatory of Music

Nick Mancini

Jazz Percussion + Vibraphone

Office: UMC-C304Phone: 562-985-4781

Vibraphonist and composer Nick Mancini began his professional career as a drummer at the age of 15. His undergrad studies earned him degrees from Schenectady County Community College and The Crane School of Music at Potsdam. He moved to NYC and graduated from Manhattan School of Music with a Master’s degree in jazz performance; a recipient of the President’s Award scholarship. After 10 years of honing his craft in NYC, he relocated to Los Angeles. He has performed and recorded with such diverse luminaries as Arturo Sandoval, Charles Fambrough, Harvey Mason, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Peter Erskine, Poncho Sanchez, Kenny Werner, New York Voices and Jennifer Holliday to name a few; and at notable venues such as The World Famous Apollo Theater; Showtime at the Apollo, Birdland NYC, the Aspen Music Festival, Fasching Jazz Club (Stockholm), Ford Amphitheater, Angel City Jazz Festival, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Catalina Jazz Club, The Blue Whale, Vibrato, Zipper Hall, Vitello’s and virtually every jazz venue in Los Angeles.

In the summer of 2011, Mancini was celebrated as Honoree at the 18th annual Los Angeles Jazz Vibes Summit and was also invited to join the faculty at two California State University campuses; Northridge (CSUN) and Long Beach, Bob Cole Conservatory. Earlier that same year his face graced the cover of the popular Ventura county arts magazine, Ventana Monthly. From the fall of 2011 to the spring of 2012 Nick served on faculty of the Thelonious Monk Institute. He is on the cutting edge of the creative music scene in LA.

In addition to a busy performing and recording career, Mancini also curates a semi-annual performance series called "elastic hour," which features many of LA’s most prominent performing ensembles and garnered honorable reviews by the LA Weekly. In the realm of production, he has arranged and overseen the production of multiple Jazz vocal records and boasts seven independently released records under his own name; storyteller and West Coast Cool in 2013. Mancini holds endorsement contracts with Majestic vibes and Innovative Percussion mallets.

"From New York, vibist Mancini leads his ensemble to the Promised Land."—James E. Fowler, LA Times

"In from New York City is the Nick Mancini Collective, led by an exploratory young vibraphonist with two toes dipped in tradition who splashes gentle swing, understatedly bent shoogabooga and exotic undersea layerings of filtered light. Original and good."—Greg Burk, LA Weekly